AreaEuropean Union

Commodity GroupOilseeds, oils and meals

CommodityAll

Date01/03/2015

Policy CategoryConsumption and marketing

Policy InstrumentGMO policy

DescriptionAdopted a new regulation allowing individual member states to restrict or ban GMO cultivation in their own territory.

NotesAfter passing the EU Parliament in January, new rules allowing member states to either restrict or ban GMO cultivation in their own territory have been formally adopted by the EU Council in March and are expected to come into force soon (see MPPU Feb.’15). Under the new policy, issues related to the importation and marketing of GMOs within the EU will continue to be regulated at union level, while cultivation issues are expected to become the domain of individual member countries. Meanwhile, EU officials informed that the Commission intends to work on a reform of the GMO authorization process at EU-level.